


🐦despair

by sonshineandshowers



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Anthropomorphic, Bestiality, Bipolar Disorder, Bird to Human Attraction, Caregiver Fatigue, Caretaking, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Polyamory, Suggestive Themes, Technically but it's bird to human attraction, worry of self-harm / suicide / death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:35:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24969073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonshineandshowers/pseuds/sonshineandshowers
Summary: When Bright's world went dark, his hours in bed outnumbering hours on his feet, Sunshine turned to Despair.Despair aka Sunshine POV, caring for her mates. It's basically Broyo that Sunshine sees herself as a part of.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo/Malcolm Bright, Gil Arroyo/Malcolm Bright/Sunshine the Bird, Malcolm Bright/Sunshine the Bird
Kudos: 10





	🐦despair

**Author's Note:**

> we played pson trivia, and name this parakeet had an option of "despair", so thanks to trash server fam for inspiring this one <3 y'all

The music blared " _Ain't no sunshine when she's gone_ " as a signal to start the day. Despair watched her mate lay in bed, twisting away and hoping the song would end on its own. It never would — depression's blanket forever persisted until he fought enough to be released. To the floor, to the kitchen, to her — she couldn't predict how far he'd get.

Blue eyes opened to her, the depths of his misery revealed via cerulean pools he drowned in. A breath — stress. A breath — stress. Could Mal make it to her in his hopelessness?

Desperation sweated from his temples down along his hairline, filling the room with the scent of panic. Could she help him? Was she too far gone herself to make any difference? The song kept rolling along on endless repeat, lacking any trill of her former happiness, any shine of the former Bright.

When Bright's world went dark, his hours in bed outnumbering hours on his feet, Sunshine turned to Despair. Her plumage dulled, her preening infrequent now that they spent less time preparing for each other. Equally beautiful in the other's eyes and concerned over deteriorating wellbeing, there wasn't a need for primping — just surviving. One labored breath at a time.

Dull thud after thud, his feet trudged toward her, and they eventually connected. She swept his hair away from his face, kissed his forehead to clear the morning dew. _I've got you, baby_ , she hoped her motions carried her thoughts into his mind. _I love you. Stay._

A daily dance of whether one of them would stray too far toward the darkness and never return. She'd kept him away from succumbing completely, but their mate continued to remind she couldn't take it all upon herself. Mal needed to find his own drive to live.

Did Gil know she struggled too? That Sunshine could dip to Despair and back again? That even with medicine, her mood shifted unpredictably sometimes and caused Bright distress? As uncontrollable as the originating circumstances were, they were both at fault for bringing darkness into their relationship. Responsible for working together to force the hapless intruder back out until it came knocking again.

It had been nearly a month since the three of them had laid in bed together, spent after a late evening fuck, the covers glued to their bodies with sticky exertion. She whispering and cooing in Bright’s ear as he came down. Gil holding them both, his familiar sandalwood scent mixed with warm breaths lulling them to a much-needed sleep.

That was before. There was a bloodied line scratched into the sand to the after when Bright had come home from a day at the precinct, barely able to make it through the door. He’d collapsed to the floor, she left to tend to him, rubbing his back while he cried.

A suspect had died when he stepped backward into traffic while Bright attempted to talk him down from charging a salon at gunpoint. Clobbered to bits by an unsuspecting motorist, parts of his limbs had been found in the next lane. Bright’s limbs had mimicked the suspect’s, splayed away from his body like they’d been dislocated and left in disrepair.

Sunshine had spent hours laying on the floor with him, trying to collect him, reassuring him the death wasn’t on his hands. But he hadn’t believed her, telling her she wasn’t there and he could have done something. A man could have lived if he hadn’t failed.

Bright became Mal in those overnight hours as he fused with the hardwood, a knot on top of the walnut. Gone were his manic expressions and gestures. Gone was his joy for helping others, snuffed by the one he could not. Gone was his want for anything except staying in bed.

And then she faded as well, unable to help him. Gil in the bedside chair, she leaning against the stereo, keeping vigil ensuring each breath raised his chest. Irrational fear told her if she looked away, the weight of his troubles would become too much and crush his ability to take any more breaths. Logic reminded if he couldn’t get out of bed, his days at the precinct were over.

Would that be the worst thing, staying home with her? Selfish, maybe, yet she wanted to return the level of attention he had given her over the years. Show him that Mal could be Bright again if he put in the work, if they worked together. That he had a whole family supporting him.

Despair and Mal curled up together on the hardwood in the kitchen, unable to do anything but reassure the other. _I’m here. You’ll be okay._

Her head cocked as Gil emerged from the bathroom, his bare feet padding across the floor. “I’ve got you,” he told them both, pulling them into his arms. “We’re gonna go for a walk and get some sunshine.”

Gil dragged them both out of the house, practically dressing Mal himself and giving him someone to lean on. She took up Mal’s other side, the three of them soaking in the sun’s rays as they walked down the sidewalk for the first time in awhile. Every time Mal looked toward the street, Gil blocked the way. Every time Mal attempted to turn tail and leave, she kept his face forward. Together, they supplied effective blinders so they all kept walking onward.

“You doing okay, Sunshine?” Gil asked, peering over Mal’s head to her.

He couldn’t see she was Despair? That the level of effort the walk required nearly mirrored Mal’s?

“I could understand this being hard for you,” Gil added, then looked to Mal. “Caretaking and caring for yourself is… hard.”

Or was Gil choosing to recognize whether Sunshine or Despair, she was still the same being? Had the same needs, the same desires even if they were a bit more muted in the darkness.

She nuzzled Mal, her face burrowing against his neck. “You’re still Bright,” she told him, even though Mal was all she saw.

“We’ve got you, Bright,” Gil said.

Gil knew Bright and Mal were the same being too! He knew everything! Could he help bring Mal back toward managing?

Gil’s words echoed in her mind: “You need to find your own drive to live.” They could keep taking him for walks, ensure he got fed, watch over him counting every breath, but ultimately, he needed to take action to move forward.

“Are you walking me toward Gabrielle’s?” Mal asked after awhile.

“Yes,” Gil admitted and sighed, seemingly preparing for an argument. She’d tried, he’d tried — neither one of them had been able to get him to budge from the apartment.

Mal stayed quiet, continuing the trek forward, his shoulders hunched.

“I wish you would take care of yourself as well as you take care of Sunshine,” Gil said.

She cackled, knowing Mal was the better titled bird in their relationship. She had no problems eating, sleeping, remembering meals needed to be more balanced than seeds. Even when her health dragged her down, routine kept up the simple things. His routine had wavered a bit in his distress.

“You teasing me?” Mal asked, brushing her face, a tiny hint of a smile turning up the corner of his mouth if she squinted the right way.

“You’ll go?” Gil asked.

“Yeah. If you both come with me.”

Progress. One visit wouldn’t turn back a month, wouldn't get her the help she needed, wouldn’t flip a switch from Mal to Bright or Despair to Sunshine. But perhaps there wasn’t a switch at all, just varying degrees of darkness and sunlight they could find their way through as a family: Gil, Bright, and Sunshine.

* * *

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> if you're 18+ and would like to chat prodigal son with wicked awesome people, come on by the [pson trash server](https://discord.gg/TVkmgxV).


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